Anne Bradstreet 33
tension. She moves from near personification of the beloved house to a litany of introspective questions accusing the speaker of caring too much for the things of this world. Ending on an affi rmation of “that mighty Architect[’s]” “house on high” that awaits her, the poet seeks—and in this case, fi nds—some comfort in her faith.
For Discussion or Writing 1. Consider the similarities between this poem and “The Flesh and the Spirit.” In each poem, how is heaven portrayed in comparison to earth? Compare the dialogue in this poem between two sides of the self and the dialogue between the two sisters in “The Flesh and the Spirit.” 2. Consider the importance of marking the date in the title of this poem and in the elegies to her grandchildren. 3. Compare Bradstreet’s resolve to deny the things of the material world for the treasures of heaven with M ARY WHITE ROWLANDSON’s view of her own losses after her and her children’s captivity in The Sovereignty and Goodness of GOD.
“On My Dear Grandchild Simon Bradstreet, Who Died on 16 November, 1669, Being But a Month, and One Day Old” (1669) This poem marks the loss of two grandchildren in fewer than six months. In three years Anne Bradstreet herself will die, but now she grieves for her third grandchild taken by death, this one “no sooner came, but gone, and fall’n asleep.” The elegies for her granddaughters Elizabeth and Anne devote not more than two lines specifically to Christ or God; in this poem Bradstreet focuses much more on accepting God’s will, or at least trying to accept it. The dead children are represented by “three flowers.” In each elegy, in fact, Bradstreet plants floral imagery: Anne is a “withering flower,” while in the elegy for Elizabeth the poet modifies Shakespeare’s famous sonnet: “Summer’s lease hath all too short a date” becomes, in her elegy, “buds new blown to have so short a date.” The baby
Simon is blown “i’ th’ bud.” Bradstreet rationalizes the senseless deaths by offering that they were “cropped by th’ Almighty’s hand; yet is He good.” The semicolon after hand is significant. It marks a quick shift in perception, tone, and temperament. Referred to as a caesura, the abrupt division of the line seems too swift, too hasty. More tellingly, the word order of the second half of the line, “yet is He good,” inverts the subject and verb when it is not necessary for the rhyme or meter of the poem; the line would sound the same either way. We invert subject and verb when we form questions. It is very possible that Bradstreet intends this not to be so much a sea change as an expression of doubt. Throughout the poem she implores herself and the reader to accept God’s will quietly and not question it. But this advice rings hollow—what she knows they should do, but not what she feels. This is especially apparent in the line “Let’s say He’s merciful as well as just.” The poet could have used countless words to evoke certainty here, if that is what she was after; “let’s say” could become “we know,” for instance. But the construction as it is is more honest, more human. She knows they are supposed to say these things, but she still has trouble understanding God’s mercy or justice in the deaths of these children.
For Discussion or Writing 1. How do you account for lines 5 and 6, “With dreadful awe before Him let’s be mute, / Such was His will, but why, let’s not dispute,” given the presence of the poem? Is Bradstreet sincere in calling for silence and acceptance of God’s will? 2. Compare the tone, imagery, and ultimate message in this poem with Bradstreet’s other two marking the premature deaths of her grandchildren. In what ways are they similar? In what ways do they differ?
“As Weary Pilgrim” (1669) Three years prior to her death, Bradstreet composed “As Weary Pilgrim,” a contemplative poem